1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephone system that includes a telephone set, a personal computer and a call connection control unit, and more particularly to a call connection control unit for performing call connection control and a call connection control method for the call connection control unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, telephone numbers are input manually when making an outgoing call from a telephone. As a result, there is the problem that an input error may occur when inputting a telephone number and also that the operation to input a telephone number is troublesome.
To solve these problems, technology has been proposed that links a telephone set with a personal computer. In this case, the term “links a telephone set with a personal computer” refers to, for example, using a personal computer to input a telephone number and to originate a call to that telephone number, or receiving an incoming call on both a personal computer and a telephone set. This technology takes advantage of the good visibility of a personal computer screen and the favorable operability of input means (a keyboard or a mouse or the like).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-127902 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-229151 disclose technology that reduces input errors and troublesomeness by selecting a telephone number that is displayed on a personal computer that is linked to a telephone set.
However, according to the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-127902, a telephone set must have a function of receiving a telephone number that is sent from a personal computer as well as a function of originating a call to the telephone number that is received from the personal computer. Commercially available telephone sets do not have such functions. Therefore, to utilize that technology it is necessary to purchase a dedicated telephone set having such functions or to modify a telephone set that is currently in use. There is thus the problems that significant costs are incurred in investing in new equipment or that a significant amount of time and labor are required in order to modify a telephone set that is currently in use.
Further, according to the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-229151, it is necessary to select the telephone number of the intended calling party on the personal computer screen and thereafter independently perform an outgoing call operation from the telephone set that is linked with the personal computer. Consequently, the user must memorize which telephone set is the telephone set that is linked to the personal computer. There is thus the problem that a user may make a mistake regarding which telephone set to use, particularly in an environment in which multiple telephone sets are used. There is also a problem that this technology has poor usability in a “free seating-style office” in which the seats of workers are not fixed.